New York, California sue to block Trump administration deals canceling
offshore wind projects
[September 23, 2026] By
MATTHEW DALY and JENNIFER McDERMOTT
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic attorneys general from California and New
York sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its plans to buy back
offshore wind leases as President Donald Trump seeks to discourage the
expansion of wind energy in favor of fossil fuels.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he is suing over removal of a
project off his state's coast planned by Chicago-based Invenergy. The
Trump administration said in June that it’s buying back the company’s
U.S. offshore wind leases for four wind projects on the East and West
coasts.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, meanwhile, led seven states in
suits seeking to block the Invenergy deal and another proposal with
Bluepoint Wind, which agreed in April to end a wind farm under
development off the New York and New Jersey coast.
The deals would hand energy companies $1.4 billion in taxpayer dollars
in exchange for the cancellation of multiple projects. ln all, the Trump
administration has pledged nearly $4 billion to companies to walk away
from projects across the country.
The Interior Department, which oversees offshore development, did not
respond to requests for comment. The department started buying back
offshore wind leases in March after federal courts thwarted Trump’s
efforts to stop offshore wind development through executive action.
In exchange for reimbursements of lease fees, companies are investing in
fossil fuel projects and geothermal energy. Interior Secretary Doug
Burgum has said that companies "are shifting investment back toward
dependable, secure energy infrastructure that can power our economy and
lower utility costs.”
James called the deals illegal and said they will ultimately increase
Americans’ electricity bills by sabotaging states’ ability to meet
growing energy demands.
“Americans are facing increasing energy costs because this
administration would rather pay off energy companies than let us build
the new power sources we need,” James said in a statement. “These
illegal backroom deals take money that should have gone toward lowering
New Yorkers’ bills and hand it to fossil fuel projects in other states.”
Bonta said that as a national and global leader in the fight against
climate change, California finds itself enmeshed in “avoidable and
unnecessary battles with our own federal government” to advance climate
action and move toward clean energy.
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Turbines are visible at Sunrise Wind offshore wind farm that is
under construction off the coast of Montauk Point, New York, April
23, 2026. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)
 Trump, who often talks about his
hatred of wind power, has said his goal is to not let any
“windmills” be built. Offshore wind produces electricity cleanly.
Oil, coal and natural gas emit carbon pollution when burned.
Bonta, speaking at a Climate Week event in New York City, said
climate action needs to match the scope, speed and scale of the
problem.
“Because we have to go to court and block an unlawful action by the
Trump administration each time, it takes time. It slows the process
down and we know we are running out of time and we need to be urgent
and aggressive,” Bonta said Tuesday in remarks just before Trump
addressed the U.N. General Assembly.
“We’re still all in, in California," Bonta said. "No matter what the
Trump administration does, we’re going to push to participate in the
climate action that is needed to meet this moment and to rise to the
occasion."
Later Tuesday, Bonta and other officials participated in a Climate
Week panel about state leadership on wind energy. California Energy
Commission Chair David Hochschild said at the New York City Bar that
states retain the ability to drive a transition away from fossil
fuels.
While Trump can slow it down and make it more expensive, Hochschild
said, “he can’t put the genie back in the bottle.”
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President
Doreen Harris said states are all confident they'll ultimately
succeed in court, but need more energy infrastructure for a reliable
grid.
“The reality is, even if successful, the question becomes who is
going to invest?” Harris said. She added, “we just want to get back
to building.”
Attorneys general in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont joined New York's suit.
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McDermott reported from New York.
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